SA has pushed back Ghana’s bid to put xenophobic violence on the AU agenda. Spokesperson to Minister Ronald Lamola, Chrispin Phiri, tells News24 this isn’t about winning. ‘Difficult conversations’ are being held, including about the narrative drivers.

Data shows nearly half of South Africans want military intervention. But beyond the surface lies a citizenry that’s frustrated that the guardians of democracy haven’t delivered economically or socially.

Differentiated funding, stronger technical skills and less bureaucracy are essential to rescuing local government, experts speaking at the FW de Klerk Foundation conference argue.

Although civil society organisations have not said who should replace Andrea Johnson at IDAC, they have said that appointing a new head must be done by an independent panel of experts. In the meantime, an internal acting head should be appointed.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has won a court order pausing his impeachment proceedings pending a September review of the independent panel’s report. But the victory is narrower than it appears, constitutional experts say.

Johannesburg’s mayoral race has a wildcard, Ntsiki Mazwai. The artist and poet – with no previous experience in politics – has thrown her pen into the ring to govern Africa’s richest city for the Land Party. But can her words – beautiful, provocative, and sometimes acerbic to the point of legal costs – win votes? We find out.

The president says he is not seeking to stop the impeachment inquiry altogether, but wants its hearings and public presentation of evidence suspended until his challenge to the Phala Phala report is decided. Judgment is expected next week. We chat to a legal analyst about what we learned on day two.

With reputational harm as his strongest argument and a high bar for interfering with Parliament’s oversight role, the president seemingly faces an uphill battle to halt an impeachment committee process into the Phala Phala saga.

uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas has little time for party scripts, Salga meetings or threats from the MK Party. And he makes no apology for the salary top-up that sparked controversy within the DA. The outspoken mayor sat down with News24 as he launched his campaign for a second term.

Dieter Gerhardt, codename: Felix, was the golden boy of the apartheid navy. But little did they know that, for 20 years, the man tipped to lead the SADF one day was a Soviet spy.